Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization

  Peru

• Cusco: 
Cusco

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: September to December, February to May

Description: Engage with traditional and contemporary societies in Peru, a nation with one of the largest indigenous populations in the Americas. Explore complex identities that have been shaped by historical legacies, multiethnic realities, and profound social and economic disparities. Based in the sacred city of Cusco, students actively engage with community leaders, indigenous oralists, artisans, laborers, farmers, historians, linguists, policy makers, scholars and educators. Rural homestays with Quechua-speaking families and a trip into the Peruvian Amazon increase opportunities for cultural reflection

Prerequisites: Four recent semesters of college-level Spanish or the equivalent and the ability to follow coursework in Spanish, as assessed by SIT. Given the nature of the program, students are expected to have a high level of Spanish reading comprehension.

Highlights: This unique program offers students the opportunity to explore traditional and contemporary indigenous societies, utilizing in-depth study and personal interaction, to achieve a greater understanding of Peru's present-day reality. With 35%-45% of Peru's population identifying as indigenous, the country is an ideal location to experience these diverse, fascinating cultures and to analyze the issues that they face in contemporary society. Participants will have access to a number of indigenous scholars and communities within the Andean and Upper Amazon regions as facilitators to their learning.

Improve Spanish and Learn Quechua
During the semester, students improve their fluency in Spanish while also learning Quechua. Quechua is an indigenous language of the Andean region, spoken by nearly one million people, and provides a key connection to the regions indigenous communities. This Cusco-based program seeks to use the Quechua experience as a lens for greater acknowledgment of global indigenous issues.

Indigenous Cultures & Identities
In order to gain an understanding of the opportunities and challenges that face indigenous realities in Peru, participants will dialogue with communities and lecturers about the loss, resilience and revitalization of their historical memory and legacy. Students will further their awareness of indigenous cultural identities through artistic presentations and expressions.

Experience Peru's Diversity
Incorporated into the program are planned excursions to destinations in Andean, coastal, and Amazonian Peru. Through travel, students deepen their knowledge of the lives, cultures, and challenges of indigenous peoples in a variety of contexts. In each region, they are exposed to the local oral, artistic, and social traditions in practice.

Contemporary Indigenous Issues
This experiential model is framed by discussions of the historical roots of current indigenous issues with a variety of local stakeholders. Students are challenged to expand on their cultural analyses in order to recognize the complex effects of multiple identities, transition, identity politics and marginalization. Through excursions and lectures, participants discover innovative ways in which indigenous peoples are working towards their own community development. Visits to various national and grassroots organizations enable students to better understand those policies that either support or obstruct indigenous movements.

Cost in US$: contact sponsor

Experience Required: yes

Prerequisites: Four recent semesters of college-level Spanish or the equivalent and the ability to follow coursework in Spanish, as assessed by SIT. Given the nature of the program, students are expected to have a high level of Spanish reading comprehension.

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Transcript
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

SIT Study Abroad's Mission Statement: SIT Study Abroad is the accredited higher education institution of World Learning, a private, nonprofit international organization promoting international and intercultural understanding, social justice, and economic development through education, training, and field projects around the globe. SIT prepares students to be interculturally effective leaders, professionals, and citizens through SIT Study Abroad, undergraduate, field-based academic programs operating in more than 50 countries worldwide, and thorough short-term professional training and graduate degrees in language teaching, conflict transformation, international education, social justice in intercultural relations, management, and sustainable development.

Year Founded: 1932